5 Takeaways From Purdue Basketball's 76-59 Win Over Illinois State
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue picked up its first win of the season on Monday night, defeating Illinois State 76-59. The Boilermakers found themselves in another tight battle down the stretch, but they were able to make some plays late in the game.
Daniel Jacobsen led the way with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Antione West Jr. ended with 17 points, Jack Benter had 14 and C.J. Cox ended the night with 10.
Here are a few quick thoughts and takeaways from Monday's wn.
Changing the starting lineup
Matt Painter decided to change the starting lineup after suffering a pair of losses to begin the season. He rolled with Antione West Jr. at point guard in place of Omer Mayer and had Jack Benter star at the three instead of Gicarri Harris. That move really paid off for the Boilermakers on Monday night.
West looked more comfortable in that role than he did coming off the bench in the first two games. The offense came more naturally and he was more consistent shooting the ball. He ended the night with 17 points, making 7-of-11 shot attempts.
It's only a one-game sample size, but Purdue seems to have found something with this starting lineup. Of course, it's always easy to say that after a win.
Game-saving sequence
The most important sequence of the game came at the eight-minute mark when Purdue owned just a four-point lead on Illinois State. After Benter made a pair of free throws, defensive pressure applied by West resulted in a loose ball and a steal by Benter, who proceeded to knock down a three-pointer.
Following a defensive stop, West attempted a jumper from the free-throw line that was off the mark. Jacobsen fought through a box-out and threw down a put-back slam with authority to extend Purdue's lead to nine points.
That sequence sparked a 21-2 run that helped Purdue close out the Redbirds. Until that moment, Illinois State had hung around. Those three plays really changed the trajectory of the game and broke the spirit of the Redbirds.
Jacobsen needs more post touches
Once again, Jacobsen was the best player on the court. The 7-foot-4 center ended the night with 20 points on just eight field goals. Three of those attempts came from behind the three-point line, making one.
Illinois State had no answer for Jacobsen, especially with Chase Walker getting into early foul trouble. The problem, though, was that Purdue needed to get its big man more touches in the post. The Boilers could have broken the game wide open earlier if Jacobsen had 15 field-goal attempts in the game.
Jacobsen has now scored 20 points in each of Purdue's first three games and has been the most dominant player on the floor each night. The guards must continue to feed him.
Benter was the MVP
Jacobsen was the best player, but Benter was the MVP of the night. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, he seems to make a major impact. He was a team-best plus-24 in the plus/minus category.
Not only was Benter responsible for the most important sequence of the game, but he also stuffed the stat sheet. He had 14 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Boilers in the game. But once again, it was the little things.
Benter took a charge early in the contest to get Purdue an extra possession. He made excellent entry passes to get Jacobsen good looks around the rim. He did it all for the Boilers.
Taking away the three-ball
Entering Monday night's game. Illinois State was shooting above 50% from behind the three-point line. Purdue took that away defensively. The Redbirds were 5-of-25 from long range, and three of those came on low-shot clock heaves at the basket. Another came near the end of the game after it had been decided.
Illinois State shot a high percentage from inside the arc and did an excellent job in the paint. But Purdue taking away the three-point shot was a huge difference in the game.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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